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Friday, June 29, 2012

June

On-line Aramaic Gospel readings

Global Recordings Network also known as "Gospel Recordings" has Bible reading available in many of the worlds languages-including modern Aramaic. Go to their site and search "Assyrian" or "Aramaic" to hear the language of Jesus. (www.grnusa.net).

Adopt a Terrorist?

On a website (www.atfp.org) it is possible to adopt a terrorist for prayer. I think this is a very naïve approach. I think this is a type of Lord Chamberland response to terrorism. (Lord Chamberland, the Prime Minister of England, and other liberals of his day, attempted to defend and appease Adolph Hitler and avoid war at all costs. This allowed Hitler to strengthen his position and actually prolonged the inevitable war.) What if this was World War II and we had "Adopt a Nazi for prayer"? I am primarily concerned about the Assyrian and Coptic victims of terror rather than the Muslims who are the perpetrators of the violence against them. I believe what we need to do is to pray for the Christians of the Middle East and try to create awareness of the situation. Why don't we adopt a Middle Eastern Christians for prayer? Let us look at the example of the Apostles. Paul didn't pray for Bar-Jesus the Sorcerer. He rebuked him to his face and removed all his perceived legitimacy.

The Dangerous Concept of Freedom of Speech and Religion

The Constitution allows for freedom of speech and religion. This is a radical idea. In an attempt to take away our rights, the Johnson Amendment was passed in 1954. This amendment allows the government to monitor the content of sermons and to threaten punitive action against those who address certain social and moral issues in their sermons. The IRS threatens to revoke the tax exempt status of churches who do engage in free speech and freedom of religion. The un-Constitutional "Johnson" amendment needs to be revoked. It is not the role of the government or the IRS to review and censor sermons.

Bones of John the Baptist found? A small handful of bones found in an ancient church in Bulgaria may belong to John the Baptist, the biblical figure said to have baptized Jesus. There's no way to be sure, of course, as there are no confirmed pieces of John the Baptist to compare to the fragments of bone. But the sarcophagus holding the bones was found near a second box bearing the name of St. John and his feast date (also called a holy day) of June 24. Now, new radiocarbon dating of the collagen in one of the bones pegs its age to the early first century, consistent with the New Testament and Jewish histories of John the Baptist's life. "We got some dates that are very interesting indeed," study researcher Thomas Higham of the University of Oxford told LiveScience. "They suggest that the human bone is all from the same person, it's from a male, and it has a very high likelihood of an origin in the Near East," or Middle East where John the Baptist would have lived. The bones were found in 2010 by Romanian archaeologists Kazimir Popkonstantinov and Rossina Kostova while excavating an old church site on the island of Sveti Ivan, which translates to St. John. The church was constructed in two periods in the fifth and sixth centuries. Beneath the altar, the archaeologists found a small marble sarcophagus, about 6 inches (15 centimeters) long. Inside were six human bones and three animal bones. The next day, the researchers found a second box just 20 inches (50 cm) away. This one was made of volcanic rock called tuff. On it, an inscription read, "Dear Lord, please help your servant Thomas" along with St. John the Baptist's name and official church feast day. The findings paint a story of a man named Thomas charged with bringing relics, or body parts, of St. John to the island to consecrate a new church there. It was common in the fourth and fifth centuries for wealthy patrons to pay for new churches and to gift saintly relics to the monks who staffed them, Higham told LiveScience. "We can imagine that the construction of this church was predicated on the basis of this very important gift, perhaps from the patron to the monastery," Higham said. The human bones in the box included a knucklebone, a tooth, part of a cranium, a rib and an ulna, or arm bone. The researchers could only date the knucklebone, because radiocarbon dating relies on organic material, and only that bone had enough collagen for a good analysis. The researchers were able to reconstruct DNA sequences from three of the bones, however, showing them to be from the same person, likely a Middle Eastern man. "Our worry was that the remains might have been contaminated with modern DNA," study researcher Hannes Schroeder, formerly of Oxford, said in a statement. "However, the DNA we found in the samples showed damage patterns that are characteristic of ancient DNA, which gave us confidence in the results. Further, it seems somewhat unlikely that all three samples would yield the same sequence considering that they had probably been handled by different people." Schroeder added that "both of these facts suggest that the DNA we sequenced was actually authentic." Strangely, the three animal bones (one from a sheep, one from a cow, and one from a horse), were all about 400 years older than the human bones in the reliquary. Those three bones all seem to come from the same time and location, Higham said. They may have been placed there as a way to desecrate the human bones, he said. Or someone may have just been trying to make the bone box look a little more impressive. "It is very curious," Higham said. istorical research by Oxford professor Georges Kazan suggests that relics supposedly from John the Baptist were on the move out of Jerusalem by the fourth century. Many of these artifacts were shuttled through the ancient city of Constantinople and may well have been gifted to the Sveti Ivan monastery from there. None of this proves that the bones belonged to a historical figure named John the Baptist, but researchers haven't been able to rule out the possibility, Higham said. Their study has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, but a program detailing the research will be aired on the United Kingdom National Geographic Channel on Sunday (June 17). National Geographic funded the research. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/06/15/mysterious-bones-may-belong-to-john-baptist/?intcmp=features#ixzz1xu0O3chC

ROBERTS: So if this is a long sort of slow drip, drip, drip, Charles, what happens here to people's savings and their 401(k)?

KRAUTHAMMER: I think the Greek situation is the least of EU's troubles. Because it's a relatively small economy. And if they had the will, it could be sustained indefinitely on life support. The problem is Spain. Spain has now, its long-term interest rates are over seven percent. At six you are in the danger zone. When Greece hits six, it went over a cliff. Spain is hanging there. And then Italy is next. It's got extremely high interest rates, which is impossible to sustain. Which means it's not gonna be able to continue to borrow. It's the third largest economy in the EU. This is all patchwork. I think everybody understands that the train is headed over a cliff. But they patch it up slightly so you get an extra couple of months. But I don't see any way in which Europe is able to pay off the extravagant living it's been on, the social entitlement state it's been on for 65 years. It can't be done. It's gonna stop. The only question is it going to be a crash or is it going to be something more slow motion? I think it's gonna be a crash.

ROBERTS: So, Mara, bring it home. How are Americans affected by all this? The market just a couple of months ago was at 13,400. Then it went down to 12,100, now back about 12,700.

LIASSON: I think from the point of view of White House, they feel that if Europe can avoid a full-blown contagion and a kind of wild collapse, that American banks are insulated against that, and that even though it's a headwind we will be OK. Now if the whole thing falls apart and implodes, then I think it will be very bad for the U.S. economy. We can weather just a Greek pullout.

ROBERTS: 30 seconds Jonah, any way to fix it?

GOLDBERG: I don't think so. I think Milton Friedman was right from the beginning when he said the euro made no sense because it just wouldn't work with that structure. And I think the great irony here is that Obama came into office saying we need to be much more like Europe, that will fix all of our problems. That doesn't sound like great advice now.

ROBERTS: Thanks, all. That's it for the panel. Thanks so much. But stay tuned because if you have a weird pet, they've got a home on YouTube.

WSJ May 17, 2012-an article appeared in the opinion page-A15. It is entitled "Total Sanctions Might Stop Iran"." This article is written by Meir Dagan, August Hanning, R. James Woolsey, Charles Guthrie, Kristen Silverberg and Mark D. Wallace. The caption reads "The regime is hurting. Fully cutting off its access to international business, especially banking and shipping, could be the solution to its bomb program." It's a good article-sadly, I think the global community lacks the collective will to take serious action against Iran-and we have no leadership in the United States-and won't until November-when we have a change of administration.

"America's Syria Abdication" by Fouad Ajami. Fouad Ajami is a Shiite from Lebanon. He is also a very wise commentator on Middle Eastern affairs. The Saudis would like people to think that the Shiites are radical and the Sunni are moderate. But remember, Bin Ladin was a Sunni. Either one could be radical-or more moderate. The point of this article is that America MUST act on behalf of the Syrian people AGAINST the Assad Regime. The fact of the matter is that Obama is not going to do anything to help these people in need-he is too busy screwing up America and the world. It is going to take a lot of work to undo all the damage Obama has done to America and the world.

Now more non-whites than whites born in America also May 17-"For the first time in U.S. history, most of the nations babies are members of minority groups, according to new census figures that signal the down of an era in which Anglos will no longer be in the majority." In May 2012, for the first time in America, more non-Whites were born in hospitals than Whites. This means that, in the very near future, non-whites, blacks, Hispanics and others, will outnumber whites. I don't see this as a positive development. Unless these trends are reversed-America will fracture among different racial and ethnic groups. There will be more racial conflict as different groups struggle for dominance. The United States will collapse and will cease to exist as we know it. Now, this is something that the Liberals and Democrats have struggled to bring about for decades. Soon, their "dreams" will come to fruition. But, I think we will see violence and civil conflict. Liberals have encouraged massive immigration-legal and legal-to bring drastic demographic change to America. Their goal is "diversity." The center cannot hold when there is more that divides us than unites us. Things will fall apart. It's called "Balkanization." The reality is that where you do have ethnic diversity, Quebec, Bosnia, Belgium, Nigeria, you invariably have ethnic conflict. Liberals have worked for decades to reduce the Anglo population to a minority due to their leftwing political ideology of multi-culturalism and "diversity." I admire many diverse cultures-I have traveled and read widely- but I love America and it grieves me to see it undone.

Obama's power grab-now the president bypasses congress to make new laws

Obama on June 15 stated that he will ignore congress and legalize about 12 million illegal aliens. I believe that the whole purpose here is to commit voter fraud. Obama wants to make it easier for illegal aliens to vote. I sympathize with the children who were brought here by their parents and have grown up in the United States. I take a hard-line on immigration-but I think that we should be humane towards the children. First, the border needs to be secured. The problem here is that Obama is bypassing congress in an illegal and unconstitutional manner.

The Danger of Mitt Romney

I hope that Mitt Romney wins the election. But then, I am going to do everything I can to oppose him and the RINO republican establishment. (RINO means Republicans In Name Only. This includes the entire Bush clan, John McCain, Karl Rove, Speaker Boehner and Mitt Romney.) Romney has connections with Islamic Terrorists that I find troubling. I believe that Obama's pro-Moslim foreign policy has been disastrous to the world and to America. We must have a regime change. Hopefully, Romney will take a stronger stand against Islamic extremism. One of Mitt Romney's principle National Security (NS) advisors is Dov Zakheim, former Department of Defense (DOD) Comptroller. Dov Zakheim also sits on the leadership council of a group called Leadership Group on U.S.-Muslim Engagement. Zakheim's fellow board members include no less than Dalia Mogahed (Muslim Brotherhood), Ingrid Mattson (Muslim Brotherhood), Imam Feisal Abdul Raouf (Muslim Brotherhood). This is an incredibly problematic for Mitt Romney, those whom he surrounds himself as advisors. Leadership Group on U.S.-Muslim Engagement The Leadership Group on U.S.-Muslim Engagement drives the project.

The Leadership Group includes a former Secretary of State and a former Deputy Secretary of State, former members of Congress, a former U.S. envoy on the Middle East peace process, and leaders and experts from business, faith communities, foreign policy, social sciences and related fields. One third of the group is Muslim-American. The participating leaders have been drawn together by their collective recognition of the issue's urgency and the need to create wise, broadly supportable solutions. In four plenary meetings and numerous exchanges since January 2007, they have reached an extraordinary convergence of views and have committed to see the project through to completion.

Response to Bill O'Reilly's June 19 comments

Dear Bill,

I feel that your comments about Iraq slighted the heroic actions of our brave soldiers in Iraq. I served two deployments to Iraq. First as a combatant and then I returned to Iraq as a chaplain. As a sergeant, I experienced the hardships our soldiers endured in Iraq. As a chaplain, I saw firsthand the horrific physical wounds of war when I worked at a military hospital. As a counselor, I have seen the psychological and emotional scars of war. I gave over two years of my life to Iraq. I think it was worth it. We helped the Iraqi people, especially children. I feel honored that I had the opportunity to fight America's enemies and to keep our country safe-by fighting terrorists abroad and I am ready to do so again. I had to lay aside my weapon to be a chaplain but I realize that what I do as a chaplain is as important as anything I could accomplish on the battlefield. I watch you often and often agree with you. I was hurt and deeply offended by what I perceived as your attacking my service and I hope that you can clarify your statement.

PS-While in Iraq, our chapel had a "free books for soldiers" program and someone donated about four or five copies of your book "A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity." I read it and enjoyed it and made the book available to our soldiers.

Thank you, Chaplain (Captain) Stephen Andrew Missick

The Cost of Immigration

Saint Thomas traveled to India and Kerala, India is one of the few places where the Church of the East has survived. Here, many people have emigrated to the west. In this cartoon we see an elderly ailing Keralan father dying alone in a hospital-abandoned by his family, who are abroad. Emigration is and has depleted the Christian population of the Middle East. This is the danger the Assyrians face. They immigrate to America and quickly assimilate. So, the people are facing a type of genocide. On the other hand, the US government, especially this current administration ,encourages political Islam-which leads to horrific persecution of the Middle East's indigenous Christians. I can understand the temptation to flee-after all, I am considering fleeing America if Obama is re-elected.

മക്കളെല്ലാംവിദേശത്തുഅപ്പനെനോക്കാന്‍ ആരുമില്ലആശുപത്രിയില്‍ അഡ്മിറ്റ്‌ ആക്കി ......അത്യാസന്നനിലയില്‍...അങ്ങനെയിരിക്കെയാണ്പത്രത്തില്‍ ഒരുപരസ്യംകണ്ടത്ഒരുകൈതന്നുസഹായിക്കുമെന്ന്ഒന്നുംനോക്കിയില്ലഒരുകൈവാങ്ങി .......അപ്പനെസഹായിച്ചു ........................എന്തിര്ലോകംഅല്ലേ?????? Translation:Back ground- Kerala, southern state of India, is the first place in the world to bring Communism, by election. Due to this we don't have any industries.3 Million people from this state are working abroad. In this cartoon, the old man's children are working abroad. There is no one to look after him. They saw an advertisement. " Helping hand is available". They bought one for him." A Mechanical Hand" !!.

The Antioch Bible Gorgias Press is publishing a new accurate translation of the entire Syriac Peshitta Bible.